A Donald Trump press conference on Tuesday was supposed to be about the GOP presidential candidate raising money for veterans, but it turned into an attack on media and Rush Limbaugh loved every minute of it.
Trump called CNN’s Jim Acosta “a real beauty,” ABC’s Tom Llamas a “sleaze,” and when a reporter asked if Trump will treat the media this way if he’s president, his answer was “Yes.”
“That was the kind of press conference Republicans voters have been dying to see for who knows how many years,” Limbaugh said on his radio show. “Say what you will about Donald Trump — how many years have people been begging for a Republican to just once take on the media the way Trump did?”
Limbaugh said the combative news conference “inspired me to do another in-depth explanation of why all this is happening. Why Trump is happening.”
He calls the Trump movement “fascinating” and pointed out that the media cycle, once again, revolves around Trump.
“The cable networks, since this thing ended, have been devoted to the press conference and how Trump was mean to them and how Trump insulted them and how Trump criticized them. And they’re now doing all these introspective panel discussions on what does it all mean and what kind of deranged guy is Trump,” Limbaugh said. “Even the New York Times. Folks, the New York Times has a story today.”
He continued: “The upshot of this is Trump’s constant access to media and Trump’s unpredictability is frustrating Hillary and the Drive-By’s capacity to shape and control the narrative.”
Limbaugh went on to bash Hillary Clinton for lacking “natural talents.”
“Hillary doesn’t have any natural connection to people. Hillary doesn’t have any charisma, magnetism. All of that has to be manufactured by the media,” he said. “Hillary needs to be hyper-scripted while, at the same time, have limited availability in a campaign that’s about spontaneity and entertainment.”
Limbaugh also feel that ABC’s Llamas should be honored to have been called a “sleaze” by the presumptive GOP nominee.
“Don’t be hurt for the media. It’s a badge of honor to be called a name by Trump. I guarantee you what’s his name, Tom Llamas, at the bars and restaurants he’s always gonna be The Sleaze now,” Limbaugh said. “His wife will call him The Sleaze, if it’s married, I don’t know. But his colleagues, everybody will call him, ‘Hey, Sleaze, how you doing tonight, buddy?’ It’s a badge of honor to have your name called by Trump and be made a nickname.”
ABC News issued the following statement to TheWrap: “Tom is one of the best journalists in the country. He is also one of the most respectful and respected.”